"I had some big friends, some big friends, who were afraid to come into school," Kuroski said, adding that one-on-one counseling was not available. "They were actually going to have the Sandy Hook teachers come in on Tuesday," he said. "I actually tried to find out who said that was the best course of action. They wouldn't tell me. I was stunned."

While classes in surrounding towns went to half days for the entire week after the shootings, Newtown administrators, seeking normalcy too soon after the tragedy, ordered teachers back to a full day starting Tuesday.

"I think in the desire to move forward as quickly as possible, people lost track as to what was going on," Kuroski said in his first testimony to the commission, which is charged with recommending changes to state law to address gun violence. He said he finally appealed to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who ordered local officials to close schools after a half day on Friday, Dec. 19.

"I said we needed some time off here," Kuroski said. "This isn't working out well. The teachers do not look good. So that first week we were back, I thought there were some problems but I think overall, in terms of facilitating mental health resources to our staff, it has been very well done.''

Changes in top administrators in the Newtown School district delayed an application for $7.1 million in federal support for safety improvements in town schools, he said.

The money finally arrived in June, a year and a half after the December, 2012 massacre. He said that the delay in funding for safety improvements to the school buildings meant the construction took place during the school term, providing a constant reminder of the schools' vulnerability. The work should have been done during the summer, he said.

In the immediate reaction to the shooting, which took place on Friday, teachers were first ordered to attend Sunday mental-health counseling, with plans to return to all schools on Monday.

"It was ridiculous, having to come in on Sunday, but President Obama was coming to speak in the high school that day," Kuroski recalled. "I stood up at that meeting and said it can't happen. We need time. Ultimately the decision was made not to require teachers come in on Sunday, but to come in on Monday" for sessions on how to counsel frightened students.

He said that teachers, without individual counseling, did not want to appear weak, or let fellow teachers down by taking sick days after the shooting.

"It would appear less able to deal with the tragedy compared to their cluster mates or partners in the same department," he said. "You kind of put your feelings aside and you were thinking only about the students. Teachers didn't want to call in sick because they felt as though they wouldn't be there for their kids, who they loved."